Archive

Medical Category: Toxicology

Massive Acetaminophen Overdose: Are We Giving Enough N-acetyl-cysteine?

Introduction: Acetaminophen, N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, or APAP, is one of the most commonly used medications worldwide. While it is generally safely used, overdose can result in the development of liver failure due to APAP’s hepatotoxic metabolites. Hepatic necrosis is preventable in overdose ...

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Toxicology

Management of Digoxin Toxicity

A 78-year-old woman is brought in by EMS after her husband called 911 for increased confusion associated with intractable vomiting. On arrival to the emergency department (ED), the patient is altered with a heart rate of 48 and a blood ...

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Toxicology

REBEL Cast Ep102: High-Dose Buprenorphine Induction in the Emergency Department for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder

Background information: Buprenorphine and buprenorphine-containing medications are being used in emergency departments for treatment of patients with opioid use disorder (1). Buprenorphine is a high-affinity partial agonist of the μ-opioid receptor. Buprenorphine has a higher affinity for the μ-opioid receptor ...

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Toxicology

Droperidol: Making a Comeback!!!

Background: Droperidol came onto the market in 1967 and, over time, became a frequently employed treatment of headache, nausea, agitation, acute pain, chronic pain, pain in the context of opioid-tolerance and refractory abdominal pain.  Unfortunately, in December 2011, the US ...

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Toxicology

REBEL Cast Ep96: Heroin OD – Is a 2-Hour Observation Protocol Long Enough?

Background: Opioid-related emergency department visits have been increasing over the past two decades in correlation with increasing rates of heroin use in the United States. Naloxone, which is used to reverse heroin overdose, has a half-life of approximately 60 to ...

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Toxicology

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